Not enough Hercs to train Paras?
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Guess the Army needs to decide what's important - winning the war(s) in Iraq and Afghanistan or training for a role that might be discribed as 'discretionary' given the political appetite for risk necessary to authorise an operational airborne assault.
On the other hand, people like Simon Barry could stop whinging about an RAF AT fleet that is being worked into the ground and take a look at the state of the Army's currency for high-intensity warfighting - not enough paras is very much like not enough armoured infantry units etc. Perhaps he should ring GOC MND(SE) and ask whether he wants C130s supporting PTS or working in Basrah........think I can guess the answer.
SS
On the other hand, people like Simon Barry could stop whinging about an RAF AT fleet that is being worked into the ground and take a look at the state of the Army's currency for high-intensity warfighting - not enough paras is very much like not enough armoured infantry units etc. Perhaps he should ring GOC MND(SE) and ask whether he wants C130s supporting PTS or working in Basrah........think I can guess the answer.
SS
Lets get some anchor cables rigged up in those new C17's and get 'em down in the weeds for the other task that they were designed for!!
With the 'Malvinas' still on the radar and a well placed barrage of bombs (unlike the Vulcan Debacle
) on MPA runway, Airborne troops maybe the quickest way of deploying the Reg back to their famous battles home!?
With the 'Malvinas' still on the radar and a well placed barrage of bombs (unlike the Vulcan Debacle
) on MPA runway, Airborne troops maybe the quickest way of deploying the Reg back to their famous battles home!?
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Lets face it the Paras are a tough elite force - but not because they jump out of aircraft before starting a decent punch-up. No, its their ethos, training and esprit de corps that makes them the tough, nasty b'stards that strike the fear of you know who into the hearts of their enemies. Using 21 Hercs to deliver a company sized force just ain't worth it and when Simon Barry worked on the Airborne Task Force concept in DAO he knew then that the days of parachute insertion were drawing to a close. So lets not pretend we're losing anything worth keeping here. Yes we need elite forces - yes we've got them. No we don't need to use precious C130 hours on dropping them onto DZs just to show it can be done.
Just because we can - doesn't mean we have to!
Just because we can - doesn't mean we have to!
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Lets face it the Paras are a tough elite force - but not because they jump out of aircraft
Red On, Green On
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The French used a small para-inserted force with great surprise effect when they needed to carry out an immediate withdrawal of French civilians from an African state that was descending into anarchy - it was about ten years ago, but I can't give an immediate reference - has anyone got more info on it?
Red On, Green On
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What happened to the use of captive balloons at PTS? There's a letter in the Telegraph today making the suggestion. My first jump at PTS was from a balloon at Hullavington, and TA units used to get a balloon date at least once a year to keep people in date.
Yes, Him
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I wonder, technically, if you can do drops from a AN-124?
Could always rent Volga's Il-76s though.
Or, call me radical, chuck the meat bombs out of a C-17? What? Not cleared?
Boscombe, mumble, paperwork, lease terms, drivel, etc.
Up until recently, after the balloons left Weston-on-the-Green, baby meatbombs hurled themselves out of a Short Skyvan ('Shed') operated by Hunting Aviation.
So much so, that the MoD started running out of hours left in the contract. "No matter", thought some Big Cheese, "We can use our abundant supply of Herks instead. Lots of them sitting around at Lyneham - I've seen them in pictures. So we won't renew the contract, we'll do it ourselves and save money. And get me promoted......"
Only one slight flaw with that plan...
....it was bolleaux. Because there are barely enough Herks to do what Bliar's Asian adventurism requires of them, let alone to spare for training baby meatbombs.
So much so, that the MoD started running out of hours left in the contract. "No matter", thought some Big Cheese, "We can use our abundant supply of Herks instead. Lots of them sitting around at Lyneham - I've seen them in pictures. So we won't renew the contract, we'll do it ourselves and save money. And get me promoted......"
Only one slight flaw with that plan...
....it was bolleaux. Because there are barely enough Herks to do what Bliar's Asian adventurism requires of them, let alone to spare for training baby meatbombs.
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Already been done...
Kolwezi was the event in Africa by 2 ieme REP. (incidentally, 1 ieme REP got disbanded after getting too closely involved with a Pieds Noirs coup attempt.)
Some TA mates of mine did a C-17 jump whilst on an OTX at Fort Bragg. Slightly higher exit speed but otherwise, no worries.
Some TA mates of mine did a C-17 jump whilst on an OTX at Fort Bragg. Slightly higher exit speed but otherwise, no worries.
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Or, call me radical, chuck the meat bombs out of a C-17? What? Not cleared?
Boscombe, mumble, paperwork, lease terms, drivel, etc
Boscombe, mumble, paperwork, lease terms, drivel, etc
SS
Red On, Green On
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And you can't get any more troops out of a C17 onto a given DZ than Albert
Short Blunt Shock
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I don't know if it'd make life harder for the meatbombs, but a higher drop speed would actually result in LESS troops being dispatched within the available PCOT. Using a C17 would really be a waste of an asset (even if we had enough of them, which we don't).
16B
16B
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Unfortunatly it all boils down to not enough manpower to fix them ( bean counters fault-Lean/cutbacks 
) , not enough frames to fly ( bean counters fault-more work with less frames as it looks good on paper ) which leads to less time in the sky due to them being sat on the floor in bits ( bean counters-can't keep a decent spares stock or provide sufficient engineering support) as the frames are getting the arse flown off them and not getting fixed, and ADF's and LIM's build up leading to MORE AOG time when they finally get a maintainence oppertunity. Frames are turning up in theatres in absolute ****-states, due to the engineers not having time to sort them properly, leading to more non-flying time. All this leads to crews struggling to keep current, which leads to more aircraft being tasked for MCT, eating up hours on the few spare a/c, meaning tasks lower down the "food chain" suffer accordingly.
And don't let the political spin sway you, as 16 blades says there is a big big difference between "avalibility" and "servicable ready to fly".
the solution is easy- stop running the RAF like a (bankrupt) business, give us the manpower we need, give us the money we need, and the results will be plain to see. MAN US FOR THE TASK OR TASK US FOR THE MANNING.
) , not enough frames to fly ( bean counters fault-more work with less frames as it looks good on paper ) which leads to less time in the sky due to them being sat on the floor in bits ( bean counters-can't keep a decent spares stock or provide sufficient engineering support) as the frames are getting the arse flown off them and not getting fixed, and ADF's and LIM's build up leading to MORE AOG time when they finally get a maintainence oppertunity. Frames are turning up in theatres in absolute ****-states, due to the engineers not having time to sort them properly, leading to more non-flying time. All this leads to crews struggling to keep current, which leads to more aircraft being tasked for MCT, eating up hours on the few spare a/c, meaning tasks lower down the "food chain" suffer accordingly. And don't let the political spin sway you, as 16 blades says there is a big big difference between "avalibility" and "servicable ready to fly".
the solution is easy- stop running the RAF like a (bankrupt) business, give us the manpower we need, give us the money we need, and the results will be plain to see. MAN US FOR THE TASK OR TASK US FOR THE MANNING.
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K-Eng
Spot - on!
The ac (J/K/C17/JSF etc) are only as good as them that mend them. The fact that we don't have enough engineers in the right place, right now, is why a number of fleets are in such turmoil. Some 'top engineer with egg on his/her hat' should either:
a) hang
or
b) fall on their sword, and then hang!
Spot - on!
The ac (J/K/C17/JSF etc) are only as good as them that mend them. The fact that we don't have enough engineers in the right place, right now, is why a number of fleets are in such turmoil. Some 'top engineer with egg on his/her hat' should either:
a) hang
or
b) fall on their sword, and then hang!
